With six days to go Sen. Barack Obama is holding off what appears to be a too-little, too-late move
by Republican Sen. John McCain in Ohio and Pennsylvania, but the Democrat's two-point lead
among likely voters in Florida leaves that state too close to call, according to simultaneous
Quinnipiac University Swing State polls released today.

No one has been elected President since 1960 without taking two of these three largest
swing states in the Electoral College. Results from the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack)
University polls show:

Obama would be a "great" or "good" President, according to 51 percent of Florida
voters, 52 percent of Ohio voters and 55 percent of Pennsylvania voters.

McCain would be a "great" or "good" President, say 47 percent of Florida voters, 43
percent of Ohio voters and 42 percent of Pennsylvania voters.

"If - IF - Sen. Barack Obama can take Florida, he could match or come close to President
Bill Clinton's re-election margin in 1996, carrying all three of the big swing states en route to
rolling up 379 Electoral College votes. The last challenger to win the Big Three was Ronald
Reagan, who tallied 489 Electoral College votes in his 1980 landslide," said Peter Brown, assistant
director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"Time is running out for Sen. John McCain, and this poll shows the number of voters who
say they might change their mind to support him gets smaller and smaller," Brown added.

"Sen. McCain has made up some ground in the last week among white voters, especially in
Florida where the race remains close. To win the election, he has to dominate the white vote and
Sen. Obama is keeping it close enough there to maintain his slightly smaller lead.

"The Democratic edge in enthusiasm is obvious and best evidenced by the early voting
figures in Ohio and Florida. In Ohio the number of Democrats voting early is twice the
Republican number, while in Florida the Democratic early turnout is almost 10 points better."

President George W. Bush's approval ratings are:

27 - 68 percent in Florida;

23 - 72 percent in Ohio;

23 - 72 percent in Pennsylvania.

Florida

Among those who say they already have voted in Florida, Obama leads 58 - 34 percent.

The economy is the most important election issue, 59 percent of Florida voters say.

"The reason Sen. McCain is doing better in Florida than some other key states is his
strength among white voters without college degrees. He leads Sen. Obama by 18 points among
that group in Florida, but is neck and neck with him among such voters in Ohio and
Pennsylvania," Brown said.

Ohio

Obama leads 57 - 31 percent among those who already have voted in Ohio.

"The Obama campaign has worried for months about winning Ohio's white working-class
voters, including those who had been with Sen. Hillary Clinton in the primary. Obama's ability to
be competitive with that group is why he is ahead. He's only losing one in five Clinton voters and
is within two points of Sen. McCain among whites without college degrees. That's a recipe for
Obama success," Brown said.

Pennsylvania

Obama leads 59 - 35 percent with women, while men back McCain by a narrow 49 - 46
percent. White voters split with 48 percent for Obama and 47 percent for McCain. Black
voters back Obama 95 - 2 percent. He also leads 61 - 36 percent among voters 18 to 34 years
old, 51 - 43 percent among voters 35 to 54 years old and 51 - 42 percent among voters over 55.

The economy is the most important issue, 54 percent of Pennsylvania voters say.

"Pennsylvania is consistently Obama blue down the home stretch, even with white voters
only narrowly in his corner. Sen. Barack Obama's big lead over Sen. John McCain in the critical
southeast Philadelphia suburbs - the key to the Keystone State in recent elections - should seal up
Pennsylvania for Obama," said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University
Polling Institute.

From October 22 - 26, Quinnipiac University surveyed:

1,435 Florida likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percent;

1,425 Ohio likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percent;

1,364 Pennsylvania likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percent.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public
opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and
nationwide as a public service and for research.
For more data and RSS feed - http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, or call (203) 582-5201.

1. If the election for President were being held today, and the candidates were
Barack Obama the Democrat and John McCain the Republican, for whom would you vote?
(If undecided q1) As of today, do you lean more toward Obama or McCain? This table
includes "Leaners".

1. If the election for President were being held today, and the candidates were
Barack Obama the Democrat and John McCain the Republican, for whom would you vote?
(If undecided q1) As of today, do you lean more toward Obama or McCain? This table
includes "Leaners".

1. If the election for President were being held today, and the candidates were
Barack Obama the Democrat and John McCain the Republican, for whom would you vote?
(If undecided q1) As of today, do you lean more toward Obama or McCain? This table
includes "Leaners".